Who makes it
The land at 150 Pfeiffer Road, Woodside had been a dairy farm before Andrew Nugent planted 40 hectares of vines there in 1997. The name he chose came from the local landscape rather than from the vine: a gold mine called Bird in Hand had worked the ground near the site in the nineteenth century. Nugent's first vintage left the winery in 2001, making Bird in Hand a relatively young estate by Australian standards, now producing around 75,000 cases a year across four tiers of wine.
The winemaking team is led by Kym Milne, who holds a Master of Wine qualification earned in 1991, and includes Dylan Lee and Sarah Burvill. Milne graduated from Roseworthy College, spent nine years as Chief Winemaker at Villa Maria in New Zealand, then a decade in the United Kingdom as Director of Winemaking Operations for International Wine Services, overseeing projects across Europe, South Africa and South America. He has worked in the wine industry for more than 30 years.
Where it grows
The Adelaide Hills sit in the Mount Lofty Ranges east of the city. Woodside is one of the cooler pockets of the region, at an elevation that extends the growing season and keeps acidity in the fruit. For Chardonnay and Shiraz, the extra hang time makes a practical difference: the Shiraz holds freshness alongside its dark-fruit weight, and the Chardonnay retains the acidity that distinguishes Adelaide Hills whites from warmer-climate South Australian styles.
Bird in Hand also operates a tasting room at the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens in Hobart, extending its presence beyond the home estate.
How it is made
The cellar
The current Woodside holdings run to 29 hectares. Sustainable practices in the vineyard include fertilisers and fungicides derived from organic sources, with herbicide use reduced sharply and targeted at zero going forward. The cellar sources fruit both from the estate and from the broader Adelaide Hills appellation.
The Nest Egg Shiraz spends 22 months in barrel, with 65 percent new oak. That barrel regime develops the vanilla and spice notes the wine shows alongside its black fruit, and the length of ageing gives the tannins time to integrate before bottling.
What they make
The range runs across four tiers: Two in the Bush at entry level, Bird in Hand in the middle, Nest Egg as the reserve, and Tribute Series at the top. Shiraz is the spine of the programme, appearing at every tier from the approachable Two in the Bush through to the oak-aged Nest Egg. Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon complete the core range.
Two in the Bush Shiraz is built for early drinking, with balance and fruit weight aimed at the first five years after vintage. Nest Egg Shiraz is the reserve tier: longer ageing, a higher proportion of new oak, and tannins that need time to integrate before the wine is at its best. It has taken gold at the Decanter World Wine Awards (2021), the San Francisco International Wine Competition (2018) and the Mundus Vini Grand International (2018).
Wines to try
First bottle
Nest Egg Shiraz is the bottle that shows what the estate is doing at reserve level. It is Adelaide Hills Shiraz aged 22 months in 65 percent new oak: the black fruit of the appellation meets the spice and vanilla that extended barrel contact brings, and the wine has the tannin grip to carry further development in bottle. The gold medals from Decanter and San Francisco confirm that the wine holds up under international scrutiny at that tier. Two in the Bush is the easier entry at everyday weight, but Nest Egg shows the cellar's hand most clearly.